After four campaigns of sowing, harvesting, tastings, and much shared work, we achieved a very important milestone for the network: the complete dataset of collaborative evaluation of creole tomatoes (2022–2026) is now available to consult and download freely via Zenodo.
This archive brings together more than 10,000 agronomic observations and tasting records of more than 50 creole varieties. But beyond the numbers, it represents four years of live experimentation on farms, orchards, and community spaces across different parts of Argentina.
We believe that open science is a political and community tool to democratize technology and the production of knowledge:
- Knowledge generated from the ground up: The data does not come from a closed laboratory, but from the commitment of dozens of evaluators who observed the performance of the varieties under their own growing conditions.
- Information to multiply: Releasing these data under an open license (Creative Commons) allows gardeners, agroecological networks, research teams, or participatory breeding initiatives to reuse the information to continue recovering and adapting creole seeds.
- Transparency and protection: We gathered observations across 8 stages of the crop cycle, methodological protocols, and the traceability of the materials, always preserving the privacy and anonymity of those who contributed their work.
What will you find in the repository?
In the repository folder, you will find very easy-to-use tables in CSV format::
- Crop observations: Step-by-step records from sowing, transplanting, and crop management to harvest and post-harvest.
- Preferences and tastings: Aggregated results from public tastings of the latest campaign, where participants evaluated the flavor, aroma, and appearance of cherry and round tomatoes.
- Varieties and sites: The catalog of more than 50 varietal materials (with key contributions from the Al Rescate del Tomate Criollo program), their local names, traceability history, and general site locations.
- Data dictionary and guide: Documentation explaining how the records evolved from season to season and how to interpret each variable.
A collective achievement
This dataset exists thanks to the combined efforts across agroecology, science, and open technologies. We want to thank every individual and organization that took part in the Bioleft Participatory Evaluation Network throughout these four years.
We invite you to download the data, explore it, cross-reference it, and use it for your own projects. May information and seeds continue to circulate freely!
Download the full dataset on Zenodo:
https://zenodo.org/records/21383706
Check out the evaluation protocol on protocols.io:
Collaborative evaluation protocol for creole tomato varieties
How to cite this work:
Cremaschi, A., Bravo, M. L., Chena, F., Schrauf, G., Tachdjian, Y., McKeithen, D. y Red de evaluación participativa Bioleft (2026). Evaluación colaborativa de tomate criollo — campañas 2022–2026 [dataset, versión 1.0]. Bioleft. Zenodo.